Screen color printing apparatus



June 8, 1943. H. FLEISHER EI'AL SCREEN COLOR PRINTING APPARATUS Original Filed Nov. 7, 1940 5 Sheets-Shoat 1 mi 2 w E E N 43 5mm llll u se 1 Tan 5 m? mm Gen BY ATTORNEY if June 8, 1943. H. FLEISHER :r m.

SCREEN COLOR PRINTING APPARATUS Original Filcd Nov. '7, 1940 5 Sheets-Shut 3 her- ATTORNEY f June 1943- H. FLEiSHER er AL.

SCREEN COLOR Y RINTING APPARATUS Original Filed Nov. 7, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 \NVENTQRS Harry f'lezsher. H. Ti H91! Patented June 8, 1943 SCREEN COLOR PRINTING APPARATUS Ha ry Fleisher, Watertown, Conn., and George H. 'I'illettI Jackson Heights, N. Y., assignors to Roto-Matic Screen Printer, Ltd., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Continuation of application Serial No. 364,604, November 7, 194i). This application September 6, 1941, Serial No. 409.866

4 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for applying designs upon flexible webs of textile fabrics, paper, and like materials, and more particularly to an improved apparatus employing a stencilprinting screen.

This invention is an improvement over a screen printing apparatus disclosed in a prior Patent No. 2,210,474, issued August 6, 1940, to George H. Tillett, entitled "Color printing web."

This application is a continuation of our prior application, Ser. No. 364,604, filed November 7, 1940, entitled "Screen printing apparatus."

One object of this invention is to provide an improved form of color squeegee for spreading the color paste upon and through the stencil screen and means to support the same out of contact with said screen at the rear end of its stroke.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved apparatus for applying designs upon flexible webs of the above nature, which will be relatively inexpensive to manufacture, simple in construction, easy to operate by relatively unskilled labor, compact, ornamental in appearance. and very emclent and durable in use.

With these and other objects in view, which will appear as the description proceeds, there have been illustrated in the accompanying drawings several forms in which the invention may be conveniently embodied in practice.

Briefly, the screen printing apparatus of this invention includes a central table for supporting a screen frame and a pair of spools, one carrying a roll of web to be printed, and the other serving as a take-up roll for the web after printing. The web to be printed is adhesively fixed to a carrier belt which is fed manually intermittently from one spool below the screen to be wound upon the other spool.

Provision is also made of marginal spacer strips secured to the carrier belt so that when said belt is wound in spiral condition, the color paste freshly printed upon the web will be kept out of contact with the adjacent layer of said web, whereby smudging of said color will be prevented, and said fresh color will be given a chance to dry. The spacer strips also serve to separate the successive layers of the web and provide between them a draining space through which a stream of dry air may be forced.

By winding the printed web in spiral form upon the take-up spools, the material may be stored while drying or curing in the minimum of space as compared to the former methods of drying printed webs on elongated flat tables or suspendin: said webs in festoons or loops.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of an improved screen printing apparatus embodying the invention.

Figure 2 is a broken end elevational view of the same.

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the same.

Figure 4 is an enlarged broken horizontal view of the upper part of the machine taken on the line |4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4, but showing the stencil screen with one end raised from the web to be printed, and with the squeegee also raised and supported out of operative position.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the squeegee and its holding and operating frame.

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the squeegee shown by itself.

Figure 8 is a sectional view of a modified form of the invention having a spring-pressed adjustable spool flange.

Figure 9 is an end view of the same.

Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the several views, the numeral M denotes a flat table top which, in this instance, is suitably supported by four corner uprights, or legs, II, l2, l3, and Il. The uprights H and II are connected and braced by horizontal bars IS, IS, and H, while the uprights I3 and it are likewise connected and braced by similar horizontal bars located behind said bars l5, l6, and II, and concealed thereby as viewed in Figure 1. The front uprights l2 and ll are connected and braced at the top by horizontal side bars l8, l9, and 20, and the uprightsll and N are braced by similar side bars concealed thereby. At each end of the apparatus, provision is made of upright bars 2| extending from the lower horizontal bar I! to the upper bar I1, and a short vertical bar 22 extends at each side from the intermediate horizontal bar I! to the lower bar 20, (Figure 2).

Provision is also made of a pair of horizontal shafts 28 mounted in and ei'ctending between the uprights Ii and I2, and the uprights I4 and I3, respectively. Each of said shafts 23 is journaled at each upright H, II, II, and II, in brackets 24, (Figures 1 and 2), each of which is vertically adiustable in and is secured to the respective upright by a bolt Zipassing through an elongated slot 26 provided in the bracket 24 and screwthreaded into the respective upright. A hand :wheel 21 is secured on the front end of each shaft I8 and a sprocket II is secured on the rear end of said shaft. The shafts 28 are extended at their front ends 28 beyond the uprights i2 and I3, and said ends are preferably made hexagonal in cross-section to removably receive a manuallyoperated crank handle 30.

The table top i extends rearwardly beyond the corner uprights ii and N, as at 3i, and is provided with a pair of transversely-spaced apart bearing brackets 32 and 33 adjustably mounted thereon by means of bolts 34 and 35 passing through a common elongated slot 35 in each bracket and through the table top extension 3|, (Figures 2 and 3). An angle piece 31 secured to the table top extension 3| has a screw 38 threaded therethrough into engagement with each of the brackets 32 and 33 to permit them to be held in any desired position and to prevent said brackets from moving rearwardly when the machine is being operated.

Stencil screen Provision is also made of a swingable stencilsupporting frame, (Figures 1 to 5), comprising end rods 39 and 4B, and side bars 4| and 42, the rear end rod 40 being pivoted in bearings 43 and 44 carried by the brackets 32 and 33 respectively. The rods 89, 40, 4i, and 42 are connected together at the corners of the stencil frame by four angle blocks 45, thus maintaining the frame in rec tangular shape.

Four vertically disposed posts 46 extend upwardiyone from each angle block to support side rods or tracks, 41 and 48, which are spaced above the side rods 4| and 42 respectively, and are parallel thereto. An elongated angle bar 4! extends between the side rods 4| and 42 adjacent the front end of the screen-supporting frame, and a. similar angle bar extends between the rods 4| and 42 adjacent the rear ends thereof. The angle bars 49 and 50 are adjustably secured to the respective rods 4i and 42 by clamping brackets 5i, and are arranged to have one of their angle portions horizontal and the other vertical. By means of the brackets 5|, the angle bars 49 and 50 may be adjusted longitudinally in the direction of web travel along the rods 4| and 42 to position the stencil frame supported thereby in the desired location.

The horizontal base portions 52 of the angle bars 49 and 50 extend toward each other and form opposing seats for a rectangular stencil screen, which, in this instance, is made of four narrow wooden strips 53,54, 55, and 54, and secured together at their adjoining ends, A printing stencil sheet 51 is stretched across the bottom of the stencil screen, said sheet 51 being preferably made of specially treated silk having the desired perforated design formed thereon through which the thin color paste may penetra'te and be applied by a squeegee to the web W placed thereunder. In this instance, the front and rear strips 63' and 55 of the stencil screen are removably seated on the horizontal portions 52 of the angle bars 49 and 50 of the swingable stencil screen supporting frame.

The stencil frame, comprising the strips 53, 54, 55, and 54, is seated in the carrying frame, c0mprising the bars I9, 40, 4|, and 42, and may be brought into exact register with the design on the stencil screen by adjustment of the vertical limit arm El, (see Figures 2 and 3), of an adiustable guide bar having a horizontal arm 59 which is secured to the table top lfl by bolts ill and ii which pass; through elongated slots 62 and 43 respectively, provided in the horizontal arm 59, and which bolts are screw-threaded into the table top id. The stencil frame is definitely located at its front end by a slidable block 64, adapted to be clamped adjustabiy to the angle bar 49 by a thumb screw 65, and an angle strip 58, secured to the stencil frame strip 63 by screws 61, one arm 68 of said angle strip being adapted to engage the block 84.

Lengthwise adjustment of the stcncil frame is obtained by the use of a pair of transversely spaced apart wood screws 68 and Hi, i see Figures 3 and 4). The wood screws 69 and 10 are screwthreaded into the front stencil frame strip 53 and have heads H which are spaced forwardly therefrom.

The screws 69 and iii are each engaged by an inverted U-shaped clamping block 12 having the rear leg 13 thereof provided with a slot 14 extending upwardly from its lower edge and adapted to embrace the respective screw 69, 10 therein with the screw head H. A thumb screw 16 is screw-threaded through the front leg 18 of the U-shaped block 12 and engages a loose clamp plate 11 for engaging the vertical portion of the angle bar 49 to securely clamp the front stencil frame strip 53 thereto. By manually rotating the screws 65 and ill by means of a suitable tool, such as a screw driver, before clamping them to the bar 45, by the block 12, adjustment of the stencil frame may be made to compensate for any possible warping thereof. The rear strip 66 of the stencil frame may be detachably secured to the angle bar 50 in any suitable manner, but is herein shown as being merely seated therein, (Figures 4 and 5), with its rear edge abutting the vertical portion 18 of said angle bar 50.

By means of the above structure, it will be seen that the stencil frame is adjustable transversely and lengthwise upon its carrying frame and that variations in width of different stencil frames may be compensated for by adjustment of the vertical limit arm iii and the adjustable block 64, Variations in the length of different stencil frames is compensated for either by means of the adjustable angle bars 4! and 50. or the wood screws 48 and 1!, or both.

The stencil screen 53, 54, 55, and 56, may be manually lifted from the underlying web W whenever it is desired to shift the web, by swinging its carrying frames 39, 40, 4 l, and 42 upwardly about the hinged connection of the rod 40 in the bearings 43 and 44 as a pivot.

Provision is also made of means to manually lift the stencil screen carrying frame 39, Iii, 4|, and 42, and such meanscomprlses a pivoted foot treadle 8|] which, as shown in Figure 2, is connected to the front rod ill of the screen carrying frame through a system of links and levers arranged with a. "mechanical disadvantage whereby a comparatively small movement of the treadle Oil will move said frame a relatively large amount.

The foot treadle is pivoted at 8| to a. cross bar 42 extending between the lower side bars 20, and provision is made of a. short upstanding link 83, which loosely connects the forward part of the treadle Ill with a long vertical link 84. The upper end of the long link 84 is loosely connected to a short vertical link 85, which in. turn is pivoted to an inclined arm 48 at a point closely adjacent the lower fixed end 81 thereof. The end 81 of the arm 86 is pivoted to the front intermediate upright 2i between a pair of angle blocks, and the upper end 90 of the and" is connected by a chain, 9i, (see Figure 2), reeved over a pulley 02, supported on the rear surface and I02 at its edges. thus on the web W and prove 2,321,134 3 of the upright 2i, said chain passing downrubber and having its upper edge set into a, rewardly from said pulley and being connected to a cessed strip I01. The strip I! is hinged as at post 93 secured to a vertical slide 04, which is I02 to another strip I02, located above it, which adapted to loosely embrace the upright 2|.

The slide Bl is connected to the lower end of an upstanding plate 95 (Figures 2 and 3), which carries a short horizontal shaft 96 at its upper end. The shaft 00 extends beyond the, sides of the plate 95 and has rollers 81 journaled oneach end thereof. The rollers engage blocks 00 secured to the underside of the front screen rod 39 and serve to reduce friction. By means of this construction, operator steps on the treadle 80, transmitted through the links 03, ll, 05, I6, chain 9!, slide 04, plate 95, to the rollers 91, causing the front end of the stencil screen carrying Irame to swing upwardly and liit the stencil screen out of contact with the web W. To assist the operator in this operation, counterweights 99 may be hung upon the arm 86 adjacent its upper end 90. The stencil carrying frame is engaged at its iorward end by a pair of curved strips IN and I55 (see Figures 1 and 3) which serve to guide the angle blocks as this frame is lowered into place.

The web W is adapted to be fed across the table top I0 under the stencil screen 51 from one side of the printing apparatus to the other. In order to avoid any stretching or movement of the web W, it is temporarily secured upon a carrier band, or belt, I00, preferably constructed of heavy flexible paper, by means of a non-drying, sticky'adhesive which may be composed, for example, of a mixture of china clay and glycerine. By the use of this adhesive, the carrier belt I00, may be used repeatedly before replacement is necessary, due to the fact that it may be stripped therefrom repeatedly without damage to the belt I00 or the web W In most instances only the outer fibres at the undersuriace of the web W are impregnated by the adhesive.

Provision is also made of a pair of spacer strips III and I02 disposed beneath both margins of the carrier belt I00, and preferably cemented thereto. It will be understood that said strips II and I02 may, if desired, be riveted to the carrier belt I00 as by eyelets, within the scope of the invention. The combined web W, carrier belt I00, and spacer strips IM and I02, are adapted to be guided across the table top III, by means of and I0, respectively, formed in the upper surface of said table top I0 (Figures When the web W and the carrier strip I00 are wound into a spiral coil upon a spool, I Figures 1 and 2), it will be understood that the belt I00 will be spaced apart in successive layers by the strips IIII providing an air space therebetween, protecting the color paste printed ting "smudging of the I0 thereby. The permitted to penetrate uniformly and produce the design thereon. web carrier belt I00 outside the web are preferably coated with shellac or other suitable material to seal them against moisture and afiord additional stiffening.

The color paste employed in the screen printing apparatus be forced through periorations in into the web W by means of a squeegee (Figures 2,

A chain,

4 and 5), preferably made oi soft 15 strip I09 is adapted to be clamped between a pair of transverse angle bars H0 and III by a pair of thumb screws I I2. The angle bars I I0 and III are secured to the forward ends oi a pair oi short horizontal slide members II! and IN of inverted U- hape in cross-section. The legs or each inverted U-shaped member straddle the parallel side tracks 41 and 40 and thus guide the squeegee blade I08 in its manual reciprocation by the operator who grasps a relatively .long handle rod 5 secured at one end to the cross bars III] and III, as shown in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. it will be noted that the inverted U-shaped guiding members III and Ill do not actually rest on the tracks 01 and 48, but the weight of this structure and the squeegee blade I0i is imposed directly upon the stencil screen 01 so as to cause the color paste to pass therethrough and upon the web beneath it. The pressure of the squeegee blade I00 upon the screen may be increased if desired by the use of suitable ring shaped weights I I 6 surrounding a pair of vertical posts IIl extending upwardly from the guide members III. In operation, the squeegee blade I05 will be lifted at each end of its stroke nd moved and lowered at the opposite side of the mass of color paste so as to push it in the reverse direction. This operation is readily accomplished by swinging the handle rod I I0 upwardly and causing the rear ends IIS and I20 of the guide members H3 and III to engage the tracks 41 and 08 which act as fulcrums therefor.

when the printing operation is completed, the squeegee blade I06 will be raised away from the stencil screen 51 and maintained in such raised while the stencil screen is also lifted new unprinted portion into registry with the screen. For this versely spaced apart standards I2I and I22 (see Figure 3), secured to the table top rear of the stencil screen supporting angle bar 00, (see Figures 3, 4 and 5). Each of the standards I2l and I22 has a horizontal rearwardiy extending arm I23, I20, and a forwardly extending angle arm I25, I26, respectively. The and I20 extend outwardly in opposite directions and carry rollers I21, and the arms I25 and I26 extend inwardly toward each other and carry rollers I28, (see Figures 2, 3, 4 and 5).

When it is desired to support the squeegee blade I06 up out of contact with the stencil screen 51 at the rear end of its stroke, it will merely be necessary to tilt the handle H5 upwardly to cause the rear ends II! and I20 of the guide members H3 and III to be disposed under the rollers I21, and the rear cross bar III to be disposed above the rollers I20 (as shown in Fig- The web-carrying belt with the web W adhering thereto may then be fed across the table top I0 from the feed spool I05 on one side 0! the printing apparatus to the take-up spool on the other side. Each of the spools I05 has a hollow shaft I29 which extends from its rear end, and has a sprocket I30 detachably secured to said extending end by a set screw I3I. I32, is reeved over the sprocket I30 and the sprocket 28 on the hand wheel shafts 23 whereby rotation of the hand wheel 21 on the take-up side of the apparatus will cause the web As herein shown, a pair of identical spools I05, are provided which may be selectively used for "feeding and taking-up" of the web. Each ing position.

In order to lock the spool truck I35 in operating position, provision is made on provided to manipulate the same. also made of a thin rod H3 having a hooked end I adapted to catch into an elongated slot I provided in the side base bars I38 and I39 a washer held on the outer end of the rod 3 by lock nuts 9 and IE0. When it is desired Web-drying apparatus While the apparatus is being operated, and a freshly printed web W is being wound continually upon the take-up spool I05, a constant flow of dry air will be directed against the surface of the web on said spool by means of a duct l! leading from a central motor driven air blower I52 (see Figure 1). Additional drying may also be obtained by means of an auxiliary blower, not shown, to force dry air into the hollow spool shaft I29. which air will be caused to flow outwardly through perforations I53 therein and between the layers of the spiral coil of web W wound thereon.

spaced collars H5 "6 for supporting the interior of the carrier belt Hill as it passes from the spool to the top of the table Ill.

Provision is also made of an adjustable flanged having a large flange l'l'la which small flanges I79, I formed on said sleeve I'll and said cross rod I", respectively. An adjustable flanged sleeve l8l is mounted on the opposite end of the cross rod I19 and may be held in any desired position by a set screw 182.

The above construction will be used when the spacer strips are not secured to the carrier belt, or should become accidentally separated therefrom.

Operation with that disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent No, 2,210,474. In brief, the operation is as follows:

4, respectively. The free end of the web-carrying belt I00 will then be attached to a take-up of the take-up spool. The hand wheels 21 will then be turned to rin the first mark I33 on the carrier belt into a gnment with the mark After the spool or unstenciled web has been unwound from the feeding spool, printed, and

being merely necessary to shift the crank handle 30 to the other shaft 23 to operate the feeding mechanism and take-up mechanism, as described above.

While there has been disclosed in this specification several forms in which the invention may be embodied, it is to be understood that these forms are shown for the purpose of illustration only, and that the invention is not to be limited to the specific disclosures, but may be modified and embodied in various other forms without departing from its spirit. In short, the invention includes all the modifications and embodiments coming within the scope of the following claims.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new and for which it is desired to secure Letters Patent, is:

1. In an apparatus for printing color repeats upon a web, a supporting bed for said web, a swingable stencil-screen-carrying frame pivoted to one side oi said bed. a vertically slidable plate having anti-friction means located beneath the free end of said frame, a foot operated treadle, a chain connected to said plate, and passing around a pulley connection to a lever, and linkage means to connect said lever to said treadle, whereby depression of the latter will raise said frame to carry said stencil frame upwardly and permit said web to be advanced thereunder to its next printing position.

2. In an apparatus for printing color repeats upon a web, a bed to support said web while being printed, at stencil-screen-carrying frame mounted on said bed, means to intermittently raise said frame out or printing position, a squeegee mounted to slide and pivot on said frame, a flexible mounting for said squeegee, an elongated handle connected to said squeegee mounting, a pair of spaced parallel web members carried by said mounting and extending away from said handle. and a pair of spaced arms located above said bed to engage under one or said webs and over the other web to latch said squeegee up out of contact with said screen.

3. In an apparatus for printing color repeats upon a web, a bed to support said web while being printed, a stencil-screen-carrying frame mounted on said bed, means to intermittently raise said frame out of printing position, a squeegee mounted to slide and pivot on said frame, a flexible mounting for said squeegee, an elongated handle connected to said squeegee mounting, a pair of spaced parallel web members carried by said mounting and extending away from said handle, and a pair of spaced oppositely extending arms located above said bed to engage under one of said webs and over the other web to latch said squeegee up out o1 contact with said screen.

4. In an apparatus for printing color repeats upon a web, a bed to support said web while being printed, a stencil-screen-carrying frame mounted on said beb, means to intermittently raise said frame out of printing position, a squeegee mounted to slide and pivot on said frame, a flexible mounting for said squeegee, an elongated handle connected to said squeegee mounting, a pair oi spaced parallel web members carried by said mounting and extending away from said handle, and a pair of spaced roller-carrying arms located above said bed to engage under one of said webs and over the other web to latch said squeegee up out of contact with said screen.

HARRY FLEISHER,

GEORGE H. TILLE'I'I. 

